Siete Pozos Tuxca Ixteco Amarillo / Lineño

Siete Pozos Tuxca Ixteco Amarillo / Lineño is a triple-distilled mezcal from the highlands of Jalisco, produced by Maestro Tabernero Refugio Pineda Cruz at a restored taberna near Zapotitlán de Vadillo. The spirit is made from a blend of two wild agaves — Ixtero Amarillo (Rhodacantha) and Lineño (Angustifolia) — and matured in glass for three to six years before release, an uncommon practice that allows the distillate to marry without oak influence. The taberna sits at the foot of Volcán de Fuego de Colima, adjacent to the Manantlán Biosphere Reserve, one of the most biodiverse protected areas in western Mexico. This is Tuxca, the regional name for agave distillate in southern Jalisco, a tradition that predates the modern mezcal category and shares more with ancestral palenque methods than with industrialized tequila. Siete Pozos takes its name from the historic Siete Pozos de Peña taberna, a training ground for maestros mezcaleros in the nineteenth century that was abandoned for decades and recently restored by the Pineda Cruz family. The agaves are wild-harvested from the volcanic slopes and cooked in earthen pits, then crushed and fermented before undergoing three passes through a Filipino-style still. Triple distillation is rare in mezcal — it yields a spirit that is simultaneously delicate and mineral-driven, stripping away the heavier congeners while concentrating the terroir of high-altitude Jalisco. The glass maturation period smooths the raw edges without adding color or wood tannins, a practice more common in ancestral destilados than in commercially aged mezcal. The nose opens with herbal smoke, wet stone, and black earth, followed by mint, white pepper, and a faint menthol coolness. The palate is mineral-forward with cinnamon bark, wild herbs, and a touch of green fruit — closer to unripe pear than tropical sweetness. The finish is clean and peppery with lingering smoke and a saline thread. Pour it neat to appreciate the clarity, or use it in a Oaxacan Old Fashioned where the minerality cuts through agave syrup and mole bitters. It pairs well with grilled fish, mole verde, or aged goat cheese, and works as a sipper after a meal when you want smoke without weight. Available for pickup at our Lincoln Park bottle shop at 1128 W Armitage Ave, local Chicago delivery, or nationwide shipping.